


Just a Pinch

by Leo_Our_Queen



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Cooking, Baking, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Jason is a Dork, Kryptonian Biology, M/M, Poor Bruce Wayne, Sassy Alfred Pennyworth, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:54:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24679585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leo_Our_Queen/pseuds/Leo_Our_Queen
Summary: Bruce bakes for Clark and the whole Batfam learns that Kryptonian taste buds are nothing like human taste buds.Good thing Clark loves Bruce's cooking anyway.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 15
Kudos: 323





	Just a Pinch

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to [Fishie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperNova_FallingStar/pseuds/SuperNova_FallingStar) and [Gement](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gement/pseuds/Gement) for giving me the idea in the first place! 
> 
> I also want to give a big thanks to my lovely beta [Pax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedNightDeer/pseuds/RedNightDeer) you're too sweet for this innocent world.

Bruce placed the last frosting swirl on top of the red velvet cake. He had learned from Martha, who now absolutely demanded for him to call her 'Ma', that Clark's favorite dessert was actually red velvet cake. To say Bruce was shocked would be an understatement, considering that Clark's overall appearance and personality screamed that he's an apple pie kind of guy.

Bruce looked around the kitchen and grimaced at the tornado of aftermath mess he had made. It was no secret and even an ongoing joke in the family that he couldn't cook.

Plain and simple; he was downright terrible.

But Bruce had actually gone through a lot of effort finding this recipe and making it for his Kryptonian fiancé for dinner tonight. He had gone through every ingredient and had done everything the recipe had requested perfectly and without Alfred's help. He was pretty damn proud of himself.

"Hurry up!"

"Yeah come on! I want something sweet!"

Bruce's eye twitched, hearing Jason and Dick rush him from the dining room. It was almost enough to make him want to fling his backbreaking cake right in their faces. But he had told Clark about the cake and he knew the farm boy had his heart set on it.

He grumbled once more before bringing the cake out to everyone. Seeing their faces light up did give him some sort of satisfaction as he placed it down in the center.

"I must say it does look pretty good, Master Wayne." Alfred stood to cut and serve slices to everyone, giving Clark the very first slice and also the biggest.

"This is amazing, B." Clark looked at Bruce and gave him the biggest megawatt smile that reminded Bruce why he slapped that ring on his finger. He watched Clark take his fork to cut into his slice and take the biggest bite.

The noises he made were extremely inappropriate but Bruce didn't care.

"What the fuck!?" Jason slapped a hand to his mouth.

"Oh God-" Dick spit it right back on his plate.

Poor Tim just gagged. Damian's eyes were comically wide and even Titus that managed to snag a bite since his head could reach the table let out his own growled hack up.

"What?" Bruce was dumbfounded.

"This tastes terrible! It's like chocolate flavored salt!" Jason reached for his water and drowned the whole glass.

"A pinch! I said _pinch_ Master Wayne, this is much more than a _bloody_ pinch."

Bruce thought back on the recipe, it required two cups of sugar and just a pinch of salt. He must have reversed the containers and added two cups of salt and just a pinch of sugar.

For the first time in an extremely long time-- Bruce actually felt _embarrassed_. 

He looked at Clark to deeply apologize but stopped when he saw the farmer not only completely cleaned his entire plate, but was reaching for another slice.

"Dude… what the hell?" Jason asked wide eyed.

Clark realized the whole table was staring at him, he still slowly cut another slice and brought it slowly back to his plate as if he were sneaking it in front of everyone's eyes.

"I'm just goin' to assume no one else wants anymore," he said before popping another bite in his mouth and closed his eyes to savor it.

"Clark, man. You don't have to pretend to like it. We get it, you two are already getting married." Dick said with his hands up in a calming gesture.

"Yeah Clark," Bruce reached for his plate. "Don't eat that."

Clark pulled his plate right from his reach. "Stop, I actually really like it."

"It's a salty cake. What is there to like?" Damian seethed out.

Clark chuckled. "I actually can't taste salt. So this tastes like a perfectly sweet and normal cake to me."

That got everyone's attention, even Bruce’s.

"What do you mean, you can't taste salt?" he asked.

Clark just shrugged his shoulders. "My palette is actually completely different from a regular human's. Your taste buds are determined by sensory cells, and Kryptonians have those very same cells but some are just more sensitive than others. So to put it short," he took another bite to prove the point, "I can't really differentiate salty and sweet!"

Everyone, including the dog as if he could magically understand, couldn't take their eyes off Clark. That is until Tim's hand slowly raised up.

"Question."

"Fire away, Tim," he nodded towards him.

"How in the world did you find that out?"

Clark brought a hand to his chin and actually thought about it. "Well…"

__

**_Age 8_ **

_Young Clark was sitting on the counter with his legs slightly kicking, watching his ma roll out the pie crust for Ms. Winnie. His ma said she was making this pie extra special just for her since tomorrow would be her last day at the church before she moves to Sarasota._

_Clark gave his ma a wide, dimple showing smile as she gingerly cupped his cheek. He loved baking with his mother because everytime without forgetting, she gave him his own teaspoon of sugar and sometimes with a pinch of cinnamon. This time Clark knew he was going to get the pinch of cinnamon and his mouth watered at the thought._

_"Why you puttin' salt in the pie, ma?" Clark asked in his young country twanged voice._

_"Believe it or not, the salt actually makes it taste sweeter." She pinched his cheek once more. "That's why your pa always sprinkles a little on his watermelon."_

_Clark watched her finally put the pie in the oven and walked over to the canister of salt that sat right next to the sugar before the phone rang in the other room._

_"Oh shoot!" She hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron. "That must be Ms. Winnie. Clark baby, go ahead and take some sugar. Not too much!" She then rushed out the room._

_Clark watched her go before hopping down, minding to not crack the tile again since last time he jumped down too hard; and reached for the sugar-- but got confused._

_"Um…" Clark didn't know which was the sugar or the salt. He grabbed a spoon and grabbed the closest canister and just took a spoonful in his mouth. His ma warned about how things that are too salty leave a bitter nasty taste, but he knew he grabbed the right one because all he tasted was too much sweet._

_"Clark!"_

_The young boy nearly dropped the entire container when he whipped around and saw his mother's wide eyes._

_"I'm sorry." He slowly put the spoon and container back on the counter. "I know you said not too much but--"_

_"Did you just eat all that salt?!"_

_Clark was now officially confused. He shook his head no. "It was sugar."_

_"Clark, baby…" Martha walked to the container, and turned it around so he could see the large label that said ‘_ **_SALT’_ ** _. "Sweetie, can you not taste that?"_

_Clark shook his head negatively. "It tastes sweet, ma."_

_Martha dipped a pinkie into the container and licked her own finger just to make sure, but was met with the bitter grunge taste of salt._

_"Dear Lord…"_

___

Everyone was still looking wide eyed at Clark with their mouths open.

"So like you can't taste salt? At all?" Jason asked.

"What about salted caramel?" Dick added.

"What about salty chips?" Tim asked.

"What about-"

"Guys!" Clark interrupted with his hands up. "Honestly, yeah I would love to know what the hype is about with pickles; but it is what it is."

Bruce was still looking at Clark. He learned more and more about the alien every single day, but this one was a fun fact that had caught him off guard. Bruce thought of all the dishes he cooked that Clark sat through and ate with a smile on his face; was it really because he couldn't taste the difference?

"Well Master Bruce, at least _someone_ in the family will actually consume your cooking."

Everyone around the table bellowed in laughter and Clark even let out some shy chuckles. Bruce reached over to grab Clark's hand and interlaced their fingers.

He decided to start baking even more sweets now.

"So, what other biological things differentiate you from us?" Damian asked, breaking Bruce's thought. 

Clark looked up and placed his hand on his chin again. "Well… Oh! Yeah, Kryptonians purr when we're stressed."

"YOU WHAT?!"

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
